Judge Match

Wealth begets power. Power and wealth can easily disturb the sediment in the soul, clouding its good intentions. Misled by wealth and power, an individual may think too highly of himself, exaggerating his own importance.

A Prayer begins . . .

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are the light of the world. Illuminate us. Help us be ready for your arrival at our door.

Ever wish you could do something good, really good? Try this! Copy and paste, or type, the URL (address) of this page onto an email. Then write something simple like, "Here's a webpage I think you'll enjoy. Check it out! If you like it, send it on." Then send it to 30 (or whatever) of your friends. You've done something good for 30 people! Now, if those 30 people like the page and send it on to an average of 10 people each, you've now done something good for 300 more people. If those 300 send to an average of ten people . . . well, you can do the math. And it won't stop there! Here's how the email might look for this page (you could copy and paste this to your email):

Here's a webpage I think you'll enjoy. Check it out! If you like it, send it on.
http://www.soamazing.com/SA100046.shtml

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Two selected book quotations begin . . .

Bridge Engineers Wanted

Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg, Becoming A Contagious Christian, Zondervan Publishing House, 1994, p. 103.
SoAmazing.com

Category: Evangelism
ISBN: 0310485002
Keywords: proximity, off-color humor, embarassing, value, spiritual, bridge, God, loves, alcoholic beverages, Holy Spirit, groundwork, conversations, Jesus, Zondervan Publising House, Hybels, Bill Hybels, Mittelberg, Mark Mittelberg

"Let's just admit it: It's hard to go back into close proximity with the kinds of people we used to run with. Their language makes us uncomfortable, their humor is off-color and embarrassing, and their wayward values and activities leave us wondering if the spiritual gap is just too wide to bridge. You may have only recently escaped that environment. So your natural reaction may be, 'And now your're telling me to go back into it?'

My answer to that question is, well, yes and no. We certainly don't want to go back to stay in that environment. But we do need tovisit it for the sake of the people who still live there, who God loves, and who we've got to care about. But yes, it will feel awkward at times.

I referred earlier to my enjoyment of sailboat racing. My crew is made up of nine guys, and they're not the kind of group you'd likely encounter at the Sunday school picnic.

Sailing protocol requires the boat owners and crews to gather at the yacht club after each regatta to verify the race results, settle any protests, and to receive the prizes for first, second, and third place.

I'll give you three guesses what everyone does while the race committee is doing it's work. You're right: they consume alcoholic beverages in massive quantities. I can't tell you how many times I've stood in a circle of eight to ten mildly inebriated sailors as they argued endlessly about who had the best spinnaker launch or the best windward leg.

I find myself thinking, 'What am I doing here? The voices are loud, the language is foul, the egos are out of control. Why am I here?' And often the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit says to me, 'You're building bridges. You're establishing trust. You're laying the groundwork for conversations that might happen a year from now. You're doing the kind of thing that Jesus did.' "

SoAmazing Review: Hybels and Mittleberg in Becoming A Contagious Christian, recognize the importance of fishing were the fish are biting. Evangelism, as Jesus practiced it, involved building bridges to those who are far from God.

Buy Becoming A Contagious Christian Now!   Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Christianbook.

Pagan Party Time!

Dick Staub, Too Christian, Too Pagan: How To Love The World Without Falling For It, Zondervan Publishing House, 2000, pp. 61, 62.
SoAmazing.com

Category: Christian Living
ISBN: 0310233151
Keywords: wedding, couple, evangelical, pastor, denominational, spiritual, ceremony, reception, absent, ministry, church, party, movies, pagans, Jesus, Zondervan Publishing House, Staub, Dick Staub

"I recently attended a wedding of a young couple who invited their evangelical pastor to perform the wedding ceremony alongside their mainline denominational pastor. It seemed clear that the evangelical felt duty bound to improve the spiritual development of the couple, families, and guests in attendance. His remarks were carefully chosen, appropriate, and delivered well, but his impact that evening was diminished by one seemingly insignificant decision.

He apparently decided his work was complete when the ceremony was finished and was therefore notably absent at the reception, an elegant and extravagant celebration set exquisitely at a local country club. In my view he made the classic error of thinking ministry happens at church but not at the party. How many movies have you seen featuring what happened at the reception after the wedding? People solemnly watch the ceremony, but the party after the wedding is festive and relational. Jesus understood this and seemed to spend considerable time at meals and parties hosted by pagans.

Let me ask a question. Do you like to go to pagan parties?"

SoAmazing Review: Developing relationships with people far from God can be a good first step in loving them into God's Kingdom. Dick Staub's question is pretty pointed, "Do you like to go to pagan parties?" What's your answer.

Buy Too Christian, Too Pagan Now!   Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Christianbook.

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